S Bar J Horsemanship

AKA Two Braids Training

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About
Our Methods

We
use a blend of natural horsemanship techniques in combination with
classical dressage and techniques learned from cutting and reining to
create our western horses. With a blend of natural horsemanship
similar to Clinton Anderson, John Lyons, Monty Roberts and Dennis
Reis, we teach our horses not only to be responsive to cues, but to
think and make solid decisions in sticky situations. We help them
learn this by providing lots of new obstacles, from the saddle to the
trailer, as well as logs, poles, tarps, barrels, flags, ropes,
anything we can think of!

The
dressage work on our young (and retraining) horses teaches them to be
soft, supple, balanced and precise in their movements. This allows
them to develop self carriage, starting from long and low and on the
bridle to a finished frame, and this allows us to encourage a horse
into its best natural frame, without forcing an artificial frame on
them, which often limits a horses potential on hard trails or speed
events. It is amazing how much smoother a barrel run can be on
a horse who is balanced front to back, and from side to side! Not to
mention the advantages on the trail, a well balanced and framed horse
navigates obstacles so easily!

We are always aiming for the horse to be confident, willing, calm, soft, supple, cadenced and rhythmical in all their movements. For our english and western performance horses this allows us to show each horse to their full potential.

Finishing
on all performance horses is geared to having a soft, supple
and responsive horse, especially when traveling at speed. We like all
horses who are going on to speed events to not only be in good
physical condition, but to have a great stop, solid ability to collect, or rate, and a very
light neck rein on our western horses. We also like to have them sidepass, leg yield,
rollback, pivot, and have a truly soft back-up as well as solid lead
changes. While we understand a slide stop is not necessary on a
barrel horse, the knowledge that your horse can and will stop on a
dime, makes it much easier to feel comfortable pushing them for that
extra bit of speed! It doesn't matter if your speed is over fences, on a cow or turning a can, all these fundamentals must be developed to promote the best performance and allow sustainable soundness from your horse.

We
have also been lucky enough in the past few years to have had enough
gaited horses (walkers, paso finos, peruvians, foxtrotters) that we
have actually invested the time in learning to train them as well.
With the dressage training we normally implement, some very simple
alterations allow us to help gaited horses find their perfect gait
and build up their muscles slowly so they can maintain it well.
Without artificial aids or any strong bits/training tools, we have
gotten very skilled at teaching and reteaching gaited horses to help
them smooth out and move to their full potential. We have even
had good success with teaching non-gaited, but powerful walkers (QH
and paints) to do a beautiful, comfy one-footed gait.

Services

Please note - ALL of our services are FLEXIBLY PRICED! What this means is that if you truly need a service, but are at this time unable to afford our pricing, PLEASE contact us regardless. We are willing to work out payments, reduced pricing if possible, and trades. There are options, it is just easiest to speak with you and figure out what best serves your goals and your horses needs!

Training

Standard
30 day training for trail, pleasure and show horses includes board,
hay fed 3x a day, once a day graining (you must provide any
grains/supplements), groundwork, riding and two free lessons each
week for the duration of your horses training!

Basic training is 700$, multiple month discounts available, please contact us for a personalized quote on what your goals are for your horse. And as stated above, we do our best to be flexible on this!

-All
horses are ridden to the maximum of their physical ability, for most
sound and healthy horses that is 5-6 rides/works a week, and the
length of time varies.

-
Colt starting is 2-4 weeks
of groundwork, saddling, trailer loading, tying, bathing, feet
handling and trimming, and getting accustomed to carrying a rider.
Each horse varies, within the first week we can give you a
better quote on the time your horse will take to reach the goals you
are aiming for. Some horses are well backed and have 20-25 rides before they go home, some horses require more fundamentals on the ground, some colts need to develop physically to be capable of some movements properly while carrying a riders weight. We will evaluate each horse during the first week of training and update you on your horses estimated advancement.

-
We recommend 4 weeks of riding after that, which includes
hauling to different arenas and new trails, and miles of good saddle
experience!

-Price
does not include hauling, trimming/shoeing, vetting,
chiropractic/massage therapy work or showing, all of which are billed
directly to the owner of the horse, although we are happy to make
arrangements to have services done while horse is in training with
us.

-
We always ensure we have your permission before any additional
services are done, and will provide you with a quote as well.

We
also offer tuneups, refinement training (finishing), reconditioning, and cattle work to help
with each individual horses needs.

- Problem
solving for horses who are getting sour, aren't working like they
used to (sticky stops, missed leads, etc),Trailering issues, tying
problems, rearing, running off, spooking and bucking.

-
Reconditioning for the competitive horses you just don't have enough
time to keep in performance shape!

-
Limited riding services are one-three times a week lightly ridden,
perfect for the aged horses for a week or more while you go out of
town, keep them moving around well! This is individually price, please call for a quote.

These
are priced individually depending on what services are needed, so
please contact us with a description of what you and your horse need.
These packages can also be combined with lessons as well!

Lessons and Clinics

Private lessons are 40$ for approximately an hour of work, pay for four and get the fifth free! All lessons are catered to the individuals needs and goals.

Group Lessons are 30$, for two or more riders. Please contact to join a group or bring a few friends!

Clinics are available upon request, please contact to set one up or check our event page for the next upcoming clinic! We do clinics for groundwork, advanced groundwork and training, colt starting, demos, cattle work, ranch roping, dummy work, effective riding, trail, obstacle, trailer loading, and we do travel to other facilities. Contact us to host your next event!

Boarding
and Board with optional riding available, please contact us for stall
availability and current pricing or call the J-6 Ranch Equestrian
Center!

We offer a few options for resaling horses for our clients, we do require we have known the horse for a minimum of 14 days before we will place them on the market, to help us ensure we make the best rider/horse match possible. The individual sale will dictate which package is best for you, so please contact us and we can get you a quote!

Apprenticeships and Internships

We offer an apprenticeship program for 300$ a week, which includes room and board. This allows potential professionals to complete various levels of certifications. Students get varied opportunities to start colts, tune up proven show/performance horses and finish in a variety of disciplines, and how to instruct riders through all these same steps. We will teach all the ins and outs of putting together a comprehensive training program, manage a barn, track nutrition, put on clinics and demos. Students who have completed level 1 certification may be given an option to join the J6 team and start their career operating out of our barn!

Internships are an unpaid opportunity to work in exchange for private or semi private lessons, and in exchange for a broad practical knowledge base. Students will assist with horse care and management, nutrition, handling, groundwork and assist the trainers and instructors.

We also
offer sales services, with the goal of helping place horses with
their perfect rider/handler. We can help you either sell your horse
or assist you in locating the perfect horse for your family. We are
not horse traders, all horses are sold with as accurate and honest a
description of the horse as possible.